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L is for Lobster Roll

It’s been warming up around here, which makes me think of summer, which makes me think of

Growing up back East, I spent part of some summers on Martha’s Vineyard and in Ogunquit, Maine.

But I confess I never learned how to dismantle a lobster, despite all the helpful instructions on place mats

[much like these official instructions courtesy of the Gulf of Maine Research Institute.]

Of course, this was in the days before YouTube – now there are plenty of tutorials on-line. This one is fun, b/c it’s very realistic.…a man…his lobster...and a dog whining in the b.g., hoping for a lobster tidbit….(fat chance)

The most important direction is the easiest “….dip it in the melted butter…then eat.” — but I could never get to that point without someone’s help.

Embarrassing but true. Heck, even my grandma could deal with a lobster…when she ordered one at a restaurant, all her conversation stopped for about 15 minutes, and by the end of that time, she looked very content and the lobster looked like it had been staked out on an anthill.

Maybe that’s why I loved lobster rolls – all the succulent, tender goodness without having to wrestle with nutcrackers and picks and flying bits of shell.

The lobster roll was first created in 1929, at a Connecticut restaurant called Perry’s. The traditional Connecticut lobster roll is lobster meat (knuckle, claw, and tail) coated in melted butter, served warm on a hot dog bun.

Slight variations throughout New England may include some chopped celery or scallions, tossed with mayonnaise, and served cold, on a toasted buttered split-top roll.

Usual sides are chips and/or fries.

The best lobster rolls are also the simplest – lobster meat, bound together with just a touch of mayo, a squirt of lemon, a little salt and pepper to taste, mounded on a split roll, lightly toasted, lightly buttered.

That’s it. Well, maybe a bit of chopped celery. But no hot pepper, no mustard, dill, chives, herbes de Provence…not even any garlic (and I love garlic).

Just let the luxurious, delicate flavor of the fresh lobster meat shine through to your palate ;-D

An entire continent now separates me from the genuine New England treat, but luckily in San Francisco there are several places that serve a pretty dang fine bug roll, considerin’ they-ah From Away, ay-yup!

The Woodhouse Fish Co. on Fillmore (a long purple octopus tentacle stretches from the top window) tosses the lobster meat with a very light touch of mayo, and serves with a side of slaw and skinny fries.

Sam’s Chowder House down in Half Moon Bay plays by the Connecticut rules, and the lobster meat is warm, buttery, and simple.
Slaw and chips on the side. Sam’s lobster roll was selected as one of the Top 5 sandwiches in the US. It requires a car and about a half-hour drive from San Francisco to get there, but it’s also got the spectacular ocean views to provide a properly nautical atmosphere for your seafood eating experience ;-D

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3 thoughts on “L is for Lobster Roll”

Deb you made me hungry. One of the things I miss up here in the north is the seafood restaurants in San Francisco and on the peninsula. My favorite in the Palo Alto-San Jose area was The Fish Market. That lobster roll has my mouth watering. Gordon.